Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Nein on 9 in '09

Technology got the best of me last night, so I'm using my lunch break to get in a blog post.

Issue 9 may very well be the most important ballot issue to face Cincinnati's people in decades.

I say this, not with a particular, inside baseball kind of knowledge, but as an average voter who has read the proposal and grown weary of the implications.

I say this as a young professional resident of Cincinnati who yearns for a city that catapults into the future, full of progressive ideas, creativity and innovation.

I say this as a constituent who believes in the important process of choosing elected officials and allowing them to make the decisions they're appointed to make.

Issue 9 is about far, far more than the hopes and dreams of having a streetcar in Cincinnati.

Issue 9 is about embracing change, supporting endeavors that let public transportation flourish and clinging strong to the idea that a strong Cincinnati makes for a strong region.

When you go to the polls today, please join me in voting No on 9. A vote against 9 is a vote against costly, unnecessary referendums on matters that shouldn't necessarily be decided by the general public.

For instance: Why should voters in Cincinnati have any say in whether the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is allowed to change the route of its train?

Voting for Issue 9 is akin to saying you think zoo officials aren't responsible or fit to make a decision like that on their own.

And here's another angle to chew on:

Do you like to travel?

Do you appreciate the ease of public transportation when you visit cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, London, Amsterdam, Paris, etc?

Those cities work because they offer a combination of busing, light rail, high speed rail and streetcar.

Cincinnati would likely be cut out of several high speed/light rail proposals already on the table if we choose to pass Issue 9.

State officials are swiftly rolling along with this plan, and can't allow for the time required for a city-wide vote should Issue 9 pass.

Like I've said before - Cincinnati will become a dying island, trapped in a smoggy cloud of vehicle emissions, should we pass Issue 9. We will be without the modern transportation lines that other cities are steamrolling into action.

A trip to Chicago or Atlanta in a couple/few hours?

Not likely if we pass Issue 9.

Think about the direction this nation is headed. Rising fuel costs and pressing environmental factors are just a couple reasons why almost every. major. city. in the United States is evaluating its public transportation resources and needs.

Cincinnati will be left out of the game if we pass Issue 9.

In 1860, Cincinnati was the sixth biggest city in the United States. Our growth did not hold up as well as some of the nation's other large cities, and now we find Cincinnati ranked as the 24th largest metropolitan era.

I can't imagine what kind of decline we'll experience if we fail to embrace progressive ideas and the inevitable dynamics of the future.